The movie Drive,
starring Ryan Gosling (Driver) and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, is about a
Hollywood stuntman who finds himself in a troubled situation when he tries to
help his neighbor’s husband collect some money to pay off dues.
This
was a very interesting movie. I can’t say that I enjoyed the characters, but
the camera angles, soundtrack, and use of lighting were absolutely amazing. The
use of camera angles is what truly set the tone of this movie. Throughout the
film, I noticed that many of the scenes were shot from an upward angle to give
Ryan Gosling (Driver) an intimidating feel, and make him a bit of a scary
character. A perfect example of this is when Ryan Gosling is walking towards
the dressing room with the hammer in his hand, and because this scene was shot
in an upward angle, it made him seem very intimidating. Another scene that
shows a great example as to why the camera angles were such a key element in
this film is when Ryan Gosling enters his apartment for the first time. The
camera angle that the director used for this scene allowed for Ryan Gosling’s
shadow to block out the light shining through the window and create a perfect
outline of himself, which for me, introduced Ryan Gosling’s character; a very
mysterious, and creepy person.
The
next most important element was the soundtrack. The entire film was very dark and
mysterious, and the songs that the director used did not match the tone of the
movie very well because they were more on the “cheerful” side and outgoing,
which made the movie even more eerie than it already was. The soundtrack also
really added to Ryan Gosling’s character, and made him more threatening, and
even scary at times.
The
third most important element was the lighting. Most of the film consisted of
scenes that were very dim (disregarding that we watched it on the projector),
which also really set the tone of the movie along with the camera angles and
soundtrack. The little amount of lighting that was used consistently throughout
the film added to the mysterious, and threatening side of Ryan Gosling’s
character as well. However, the lighting had the most effectiveness during the
elevator scene, when it was dimmed down, to focus in on the kiss between Driver
and Irene. The use of lighting during this particular scene showed the
importance of it, and that it was not only a turning point in the story, but
also a huge turning point for Driver as well.
There
were many amazing scenes in this film, all of which were amazing because of the
camera angles, soundtrack, and lighting. As I said before, one of the most
important scenes in this film was the elevator scene when Driver kissed Irene
for the first and last time. The way the lighting was used in this scene made
it one of the most important because it added to the fact that that specific
moment in the film was a game changer. Another important scene in this film was
when Driver was walking towards the dressing room with the hammer in his hand.
The camera angles used in this scene are what made it stand out because it made
Driver seem very threatening, and someone that is not to be messed with. The
scene that took place right after Driver was walking towards the dressing room
is when Driver is on the phone with Nino standing over his henchman. For this
particular scene, the camera was low to the ground facing up at Driver’s face
with his hand gripped tightly around the hammer, which showed the side of
Driver that he was trying to hide from Irene.
Finally,
the most important part of the movie for me was the beginning sequence. This is
because all of the scenes that made up the intro of the movie were shot within
the car, and made me understand the complexity of the storyline of the movie,
and the style and flow of the movie as well. Also, the very little dialogue
that Driver had in the beginning of the film made me develop an understanding
of his character.
I
would have to say that he most compelling as well as most important storyline
of Drive had to be the feelings between Driver and Irene because it developed
and set up the start for the second storyline. If Driver and Irene didn’t
develop a relationship, there would not have been another storyline within the
film.
It
was excellent how the two storylines were woven together, however, the
storyline between Driver and Irene was frustrating for me at times because
there wasn’t much dialogue exchanged between them, which made it hard for me to
connect to that part of the film.
When
it comes to the thematic elements, Drive was an amazing film, a work of art.
However, I’m not sure whether or not I liked the characters of the film,
especially Driver, because he didn’t have much dialogue, and not much of a personality
to me as well. Although the lack of dialogue that Driver had made me very
curious as to whom he was, and his background, it was still annoying for me at
times. Overall, Driver was an excellent film, and I would definitely recommend
it to anyone who is very much into watching movies, and focusing on the
thematic elements.
